Heat use 22-0 late run to top Hawks, 135-121 in OT

Duncan Robinson tied a franchise record with 10 3-pointers, Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler each had triple-doubles and the Miami Heat scored 22 unanswered points down the stretch to beat the Atlanta Hawks 135-121 in overtime on Tuesday night.

Kendrick Nunn scored 36 points, one off the Heat rookie record. Adebayo finished with a career-high 30 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. Butler had 20 points, a career-high 18 rebounds and 10 assists.

And Robinson scored 34 points, on a night when the Heat moved to 11-0 at home.

Atlanta Hawks guard DeAndre' Bembry, left, looks to pass as Miami Heat forward Chris Silva (30) defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2019, in Miami. (AP PhotoLynne Sladky)

They had to scramble to get there, down by six with less than a minute left in regulation. But Robinson and Butler made 3s late to tie the game, and the Heat opened overtime on a 16-0 run. It was the NBA’s widest margin of victory in an overtime game since Oct. 31, 2009, when Philadelphia beat New York 141-127.

De’Andre Hunter scored 28 points, and Trae Young added 21 points and nine assists for Atlanta — which fell to 0-3 against the Heat this season.

Vince Carter, in the 1,500th regular-season game of his career, scored 12 for the Hawks. Jabari Parker had 16 points and Cam Reddish added 12 for Atlanta.

Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) passes to forward Jabari Parker (5) as Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2019, in Miami. (AP PhotoLynne Sladky)

The Hawks used a 13-0 run to take an eight-point lead early in the fourth, before the Heat clawed back and eventually tied the game at 111-111 on a 3-pointer by Robinson with 3:11 left.

Atlanta scored the next four to reclaim the lead, Butler missed a pair of free throws with 1:18 left and Alex Len had a dunk on the next Hawks possession for a 117-111 lead.

The rest was all Heat.

Atlanta Hawks' Lloyd Pierce watches during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Miami Heat, Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2019, in Miami. (AP PhotoLynne Sladky)

Miami started fast, racing out to a 25-10 lead in the first 6 minutes fueled in large part by four early 3-pointers by Robinson.

That’s when Carter checked in, and the Hawks found a groove.

Carter made three 3-pointers before the first quarter was over, most of the 15-point lead vanished quickly and it stayed relatively close the rest of the way. Miami’s lead was only 66-64 at the half, and Atlanta took a 96-93 lead into the fourth.

Atlanta Hawks guard Vince Carter (15) acknowledges the crowd as he is introduced during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Miami Heat, Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2019, in Miami. (AP PhotoLynne Sladky)

TIP-INS

Hawks: Atlanta made 13 3-pointers in the first half, tying a team record set on three other occasions. The Hawks had only nine 2-pointers before intermission. ... Hunter returned to the starting lineup, and Cam Reddish played off the bench. ... Kevin Huerter remains on a minutes restriction of about 25 per night, though that isn’t expected to last much longer. He didn’t play in overtime.

Heat: Miami again played without four of its six highest-paid players. Goran Dragic (groin strain), Justise Winslow (back strain), James Johnson (illness) and Dion Waiters (illness) were out. Dragic is working toward a return. Winslow has missed 14 of Miami’s 24 games, Johnson has made only six appearances and Waiters has yet to play.

FAREWELL, VINCE

Barring a playoff meeting or trade, this was Carter’s final game in Miami. He appeared in Miami as an opponent 36 times including playoffs, tying Allan Houston for third-most all-time behind Paul Pierce’s 42 and Patrick Ewing’s 37. Carter’s 714 points are fourth-most of any opponent in Miami, behind Pierce’s 867, Ewing’s 754 and Michael Jordan’s 722.

STAR WARS NIGHT

The Heat threw a “Star Wars”-themed celebration, replete with lightsabers on the court during the pregame delivery of the game ball, Darth Vader patrolling around the arena and radio analyst Ruth Riley Hunter with her hair done like Princess Leia. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra is a fan of the sci-fi saga. “Every summer, the whole family gets together in Hawaii and we end up watching ‘Star Wars,’” Spoelstra said.

UP NEXT

Hawks: Visit Chicago on Wednesday.

Heat: Host the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday.

More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Melbourne Cricket Ground staff have admitted that the pitch prepared for the Boxing Day test was skewed too heavily in favor of bowlers, as an attempt to avoid a dull draw instead triggered a frantic two-day landslide of wickets.

Curator Matt Page, recruited to inject “life” into the MCG deck following a lifeless 2017 Ashes stalemate, conceded Sunday that leaving 10mm of grass on the surface proved excessive. The decision resulted in 36 wickets falling across just 142 overs of play, leaving the surface under intense scrutiny from players and officials alike.

“I was in a state of shock after the first day... to see 20 wickets in a day,” Page said. “I’ve never been involved in a test match like it and hopefully never involved in a test match like it again.

"It was a roller-coaster ride for two days to see everything unfold.”

The result marked the first time in 129 years a series has produced multiple two-day finishes, following a similar result in the first Ashes test at Perth.

Despite a first win for England in Australia since 2011, captain Ben Stokes was scathing in his assessment, suggesting that other nations would face harsher consequences for such conditions.

“I’m pretty sure if that was somewhere else in the world there’d be hell on,” Stokes said to the BBC after the match ended Saturday. “With 36 wickets in less than two days and no total over 200, I think you can read into that a lot.

"If that was another condition somewhere else... you probably would get a pasting.”

Despite the criticism and the millions of dollars in refunds for ticketholders triggered by the early finish, Australian Travis Head, the leading run scorer for the series, defended the difficulty of the groundsman’s role.

“Everyone wants to see wickets. No one wants to see blokes get 300s, Head said. "There needs to be a balance and sometimes we’re going to see the balance like last week err to the batters and some weeks we’re going to see it to the bowlers.

“So I do feel for him especially, obviously, in terms of the Boxing Day test and the amount of people. It’s been highly talked about and it’s probably the most talked about Ashes series that we’ve seen for a long time in terms of the last three or four weeks around everything that everyone does.”

ICC match referee Jeff Crowe is expected to rate the surface this week, which takes into account feedback from both captains.

The fifth and final test of the series starts Jan. 4 at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Australia leads the series 3-1 and has retained the Ashes.

AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

Australia's Jake Weatherald his bowled by England's Ben Stokes on Day 2 of their Ashes cricket test match in Melbourne, Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Hamish Blair)

England's Ben Stokes pauses before bowling a delivery to Australia on Day 2 of their Ashes cricket test match in Melbourne, Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Hamish Blair)

England's Brydon Carse, right, completes a caught and bowled on Australia's Michael Neser, left, on Day 2 of their Ashes cricket test match in Melbourne, Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Hamish Blair)